Dog rescue launched on Seymour Mountain in bid to keep would-be rescuers from avalanche-prone area

Friday, December 7, 2012

By Tiffany Crawford, Vancouver Sun

Searchers became concerned after a rescue page was set up on Facebook for Ohly, a Burnese Mountain dog who ran off Thursday afternoon from a snowshoe trek with his owners in an area known as Suicide Gulley.

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METRO VANCOUVER -- Search teams will try to rescue a stranded dog from a deep ravine on Mount Seymour after an outpouring of concern online raised fears of public safety.

Tim Jones, a spokesman for North Shore Search and Rescue, said searchers became concerned after a rescue page was set up on Facebook for Ohly, a Bernese Mountain dog who ran off Nov. 25 during a snowshoe trek with his owners in an area known as Suicide Gully.

The dog was spotted on Thursday afternoon, and now rescuers are concerned that people will risk their lives to search for the dog in the steep and avalanche-prone terrain.

Jones said Ohly is well-equipped to handle being outdoors and there is no immediate concern for his safety.

Rescuers came within five feet of Ohly on Thursday afternoon and made several attempts to coax the dog out of the area; however, he kept running away. The owners had accompanied the rescue team and about 20 volunteers.

"This dog doesn't even want to come to his owners," Jones said.

The searchers left food for the dog, with plans to assess whether to head out and resume the rescue Friday, he said.

Jones warned people to leave the search up to the experts who are well trained in avalanche preparedness and carry all the necessary equipment, such as snowshoes and ice axes. He said the area is extremely steep and slippery, and a trek into the area by someone who is unprepared could result in severe injury or death.

"This is an issue of public safety," said Jones. "If the dog was lost in a lower trail we wouldn't go and search. But where this dog went — this area is avalanche-prone and in steep terrain and people are responding and we're concerned."

He would not comment on whether the owners will be responsible for the cost of the search.

Another concerned dog owner, Robert Pierce, is also missing a dog on Grouse Mountain. He said Friday that he has contacted North Shore Search and Rescue to help find his four-year-old bloodhound, Ellie Mae.

Pierce said he was hiking on the mountain on Monday with Ellie Mae off leash when a tree fell and she got spooked and ran off. Volunteers with tracking dogs have helped him to search the mountain but so far there have been no sightings.

He said Ellie Mae was treated badly by former owners and has fear issues, so he's worried she may be hiding somewhere or stranded in difficult terrain.

"I just want everyone to know. All we need is a sighting. If (rescuers) are already up there they might see her," he said.

Last month, three members of an American family died after trying to rescue a dog in dangerous surf.

Howard Kuljian, his wife Mary Scott and their 16-year-old son Gregory were at a beach in California when their dog ran off into eight-to-10-foot waves. They tried to save the dog but ended up engulfed by the rolling waters.